It might be hard to credit but the issue of Syria has touched the election campaign in a way that trivialises a grave situation.

Kevin Rudd’s criticism of Tony Abbott’s “lack of sophistication" in his remarks about Syria might be more credible if Mr Rudd’s own responses had shown much depth. Abbott had characterised the conflict in Syria as one between “baddies and baddies", which, in a way, it is.

Australia’s role is distant to the evolving Syria story aside from our presidency this month of the United Nations Security Council.

Any attempt to pretend otherwise is grandstanding.

In fact, Abbott has shown relative restraint in his statements about Syria, and these might be contrasted favourably with those of John Howard in the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Abbott said last week Australia should not exaggerate its role in a “difficult international conflict".

Rudd has been seeking to do just this in a way that has been jarring.

In those earlier remarks, Abbott described the Syrian conflict as “a civil war between two equally unsavoury sides".